Sheryl's son, Khalid, coined the perfect phrase for taking care of yourself-- "Cool your Core." As crossfitters and people focused on health and fitness, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because you worked out 4 or 5 times this week, you are taking care of yourself. But we are more than our bodies. The body is just the physical manifestation of our life. C.S. Lewis said it well. "You don't have a soul; you ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." We need to make sure we are putting as much energy into nurturing the soul as we do in caring for the body.
I'll be honest. I am looking for ideas and help in this area. I am looking for new ways of caring for myself that don't involve food. So I hope you all will share freely and liberally about what works for you. How do you Cool Your Core?
15 comments:
I love the "cool your core" idea. So far I'm not so good at doing this on a regular basis in Atlanta. I get one week of major cooling off a year. I head to rural eastern Honduras with my church. My cell phone, pager, and email are all turned off. I spend the early mornings drinking coffee in the hammock watching the sunrise over the mountain. After a day of manual labor/doctoring I feel like I've worked hard...enjoyed the outdoors/sunshine. We head back for dinner and spend the evening back on the porch in the hammocks and rocking chairs just hanging out....I need help figuring out how to "cool" like that around here. I have problems leaving my cellphone, email, pager alone even when I go on vacation. I look forward to hearing everybody else's ideas.
Overall doing well on the challenge. I am on main service at the hospital this week so I'm not worried about diet cokes this week (13 hour days + call at night requires a significant caffeine intake). I made lunches/dinners for the week so those Zone friendly choices help.
Have a great day!
Good Morning All! I too love the idea of "Cooling your core!" Khalid is wise beyond his years, and I am glad that he has shared the idea. I struggle with this one, but I find it easier in Savannah than I did in Atlanta. I guess moving to Savannah is one thing that I did to cool my core. Life here moves at a slower pace. There is less traffic, and many people here seem to understand the importance of cooling the core. A morning walk along the river or the beach, or even around the park, is a great way to start the day. When time does not allow for that like this morning, I grab my coffee and watch the squirrels play at sunrise in the giant oaks before the noise of the day interrupts their fun. I also try to take time everday to read. I enjoy mysteries of all sorts and have since I was a kid. It is a great escape from the problems of the real world for me. I also keep a journal where I write about anything and everything. I try to do that everyday. Sometimes, my entry is simple: "I am too tired to write." Other days, I write pages about things that have made me happy or sad that day. I find it very therapeutic. I look forward to hearing everyone's ideas today.
Meeks I too have the problem with "cooling my core" in ATL! I love your example of cooling your core, how wonderful!
When I do cool my core my favorite ways to do so are long naps on the weekends, doing yoga ( I like Pam and Miki's place : Kashi or I also just love coming home and putting Fit TVS Namaste Yoga program on at 6pm, and doing the yoga right there in my living room while the sun sets through my huge living room window. I have to maneuver my poses around Kyla who always has to be on the yoga mat while I am ((It is proven that pets can feel our energy during yoga and they yearn to be close to us at that time , there are even yoga classes that allow you to bring your pets :))
I admit I do not do these things enough and I know I need to spend more time " cooling my core!"
First a little history. This all came about after one of our fish (Nemo) died and both kids had complete meltdowns. That evening Khalid discovered that taking a long warm shower cooled his core.
For me, music is one way. I'm not a huge music person but Nora Jones' "sunrise, sunrise looks like morning in your eyes..." and India Arie's "havin' a private party...nobody here but me my angels and my guitar..." do wonders for me.
More later.
I'm really enjoying all the comments today. I feel relaxed just reading them. Keep them coming.
Melissa, where are you?
I am able to cool my core at home on the weekends. We have a great screened in porch with a comfy love seat. I will go out there with a book/newspaper/magazine and read then fall into a nice nap. I can hear the creatures in our back yard (typically a cat harassing my cat - who is on the porch with me). We have some tall trees that sound so nice when there is a little breeze - it is so relaxing and I often forget I am at home, not on vacation. That is my Sunday ritual. Often coupled with some coffee.
I also spend time with my "little friend". She is 3 and makes me giggle and remember not to stress so much over the little things. She lights up with Nomi and Stan show up to play and is such a happy little girl. I love our tea parties and when she give me "hold you's" (she will crawl in your lap for a hug). She also says she misses me "whole big bunches" when I can't come and play - how can you be stressed out after that? If you tell her you had a rough say, she will look at you and say "you need butterflies" then moves her hands like butterfly wings. Little kids just make me laugh and remember that my stresses are not really that big of a deal.
I would like to find a way to cool my core during the week - would love to be committed enough to enjoy an evening yoga or pilates class, but I have yet to take the leap....if anyone is interested in finding one, let me know!
I had a wonderful core cooling experience in Montreal this weekend. I went there to teach a cooking class on sunday, which is always a long greuling day, but I got in on Sat afternoon and had some time to kill by myself. My original thought was to go running, but that felt more like a "should" than a "want to." So the first thing I did to cool my core was to give myself permission to do what I wanted to do, not what I felt I should do. So I walked leisurely to the top of Mount Royal, stopping along way to enjoy the vibrant yellow and orange leaves that have already falled. It was perfect fall weather. I got to the top for a beautiful view of the city, and made myself just stand there and reflect. This type of quietness is hard for me, but it felt SO good.
When I'm at home, going for a walk that is not too strenuous works well for me, though I don't do it enough. I have recently begun to appreciate baths - even short ones, often with a glass of wine and a book. I think I should explore this more as a core cooling method. This is an area I really need to develop. I like all the ideas...especially writing and yoga. I have gone through stints of both, but am out of the habit. I'm going to give them both another try. Rae, is the FIT TVS Namaste Yoga program on regular television/cable? If so, maybe I'll give it a try. I also recently got a library card and thought that going to the library card, and while I was there I was thinking what a great, quiet place the library is. Going there to read is another thing I thought I could try.
It sounds like we all have similar problems...cooling your core is much easier when you are away, or at least when you're not in weekly work routine. This is a great thing to work on. Pat, thanks again for the inspiration.
Gnomes - I am so with you on the 3-year-old's ability to wipe your cares away.
Miki- welcome home. Glad to hear you had such a wonderful visit.
Miki, you'll be fine. I'm sure it was just the jet lag and the fatigue from your trip. Good for you for coming on in to the gym rather than staying away another day. Today will be better.
Yeah, Melissa. Where are you? Don't make me come over there...
Miki,
you've earned yourself burpees. Non-negotiable.
It's not like you don't know I read this every day. Seriously.
Miki, are you talking about Lullwater park? I love to walk over there, but I haven't done it in ages. Melvin loves it too. About the burpee penalty, better not argue with her or you may get more. This blog totally counts...we have to find ways of expressing our feelings and fears without trashing ourselves. It's possible to be honest about your feelings with trashing yourself. Instead of saying, "I really sucked...I can't believe how bad I was", you could have said something like, "you know I really felt like I had a bad night at the gym, and I'm really down about it. I'm afraid that I may have lost ground while I was on vacation. I am struggling not to feel bad about myself. I need everyone's help with this."
I am still in Court, but decided to "cool my core" by reading the blog! I agree, Pat, that simply reading all the replies helps me feel more relaxed. Maybe now I can get through the remaining 50 cases without biting someone's head off! LOL! No doubt all the lawyers thank you for sharing, too!
Miki, maybe I can meet you there for a lunchtime walk one day when the weather is nice. That would be great for both of us. Hey, I hope you don't take my response as too pollyanna...sometimes I just want to bitch too...or stuff all those negative feelings down with food, but it doesn't help to talk bad about yourself and it certainly doesn't help me to stuff my feelings. I want us to be real, but I also want us to practice what we are learning, even if it feels a little fake or awkward...you can say that...this feels weird, but here goes. Practice makes perfect.
Hang in there, Byron. I don't know how you lawyers and doctors and other high-powered people do it!
Miki, I loved reading about your walk to Lullwater. It didn't take any prep and just took a short amount of time. Getting away is a great way to cool your core, but the trick is to get in touch with the things that relax us when we're anxious, and calm us when we're angry -- day to day. A morning cup of coffee with the blogs (and now facebook thanks to Gnomes) "before the noise of the day" is part of that for me. Getting in water of any kind is really calming. I don't do that enough. Baths with music, candles, bubbles, towel for a pillow, snacks and a book -- just lovely. One of my favorite memories is Christmas evening around 2005 or 6. After all of the festivities were over, the kids were with their dad, I came home, put candles in the fireplace (decided I didn't want to do the work of an actual fire), put a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk next to me and read a good,light book while laying on my couch. It was devine. And like many of you, just getting outside helps. A lot.
Miki,
you get the burpee penance because you had already called yourself pathetic in an earlier post and then did a whole separate post and knowingly bashed yourself. AND you knew it was bashing because you said NOT to tell me. If you had said, for example "the workout sucked," that would be fine - they all suck. But you NEVER suck. And I think it's going to take burpees to get that through your thick skull. You may do them as your warmup this evening.
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